On Dec. 5, 1934, Türkiye granted full suffrage to women, paving the way for them to vote and become lawmakers. In 88 years since then, women secured more gains though they are still outnumbered by men in Parliament. Still, Parliament boasts a 17.1% share of women among deputies, which puts Türkiye 129th place in the world in terms of female representation in Parliament.
Türkiye was ahead of many European countries when it granted suffrage to women, about 11 years after it switched to the republic regime. The republic, under the leadership of founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, elevated women’s place in the public sector. Yet, like the rest of the world, women still lag behind men in politics, though they have a more active role in the public and private sectors.
One year after they were granted suffrage, women made it into Parliament where they won 4.5% of seats but their proportion did not increase until 2002. In the subsequent elections, their number in Parliament increased, to 9.1% in 2007 and to 17.6% in 2015, the highest in the history of the republic, before dropping to 17.1% in the 2018 elections. Currently, women have 103 seats in the 600-seat parliament.
Elsewhere, their number is still low. Women won the seat of mayor in 14 municipalities between 1930 and 2019, while the current number of female mayors is 41.
But even these figures are significant for women. Leyla Şahin Usta, a lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), who also serves as the party’s deputy chair, said in retrospect, the suffrage is “something interesting.” “Devoting a separate day to mark it everywhere in the world shows the public view of women’s role in politics back then,” she told Anadolu Agency (AA) ahead of the anniversary of the suffrage. For headscarf-wearing lawmakers like Usta, the day is more meaningful. She reminds us that women wearing headscarves were barred from parliamentary elections up until 2015. As for her party, Usta said 18.8% of its lawmakers are women, “a relatively good figure.” “We are in a better place compared to the past but certainly, we want more women in Parliament,” she said. “But parties should be careful on this issue. You can’t nominate more women just for the sake of having more women in Parliament. What is more important is nominating people deserving of those seats, representing the nation best, and nominating people who will be more active in Parliament. I attach importance to having women from all walks of life in Parliament, women who are skilled and will contribute (to the development of the country),” she explained.
Usta reiterated that President and AK Party leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan focused on having more female and young lawmakers and instructed fellow party members to work to that extent.
Lütfiye Selva Çam, another AK Party deputy, said that though women were granted suffrage in 1934, they remained subject to discrimination in the following years. “Rights granted to women by Atatürk were blocked for women by those exploiting his name,” she outlined, referring to the practice of discrimination, particularly for women wearing headscarves. Çam, a headscarf-wearing lawmaker, said 2015 was an important year for her in terms of being elected to Parliament as a headscarf-wearing woman and thanks President Erdoğan for ending discrimination toward some Turkish women.
Arzu Erdem, a female lawmaker from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) recalls Atatürk’s words and said participation of Turkish women in public life was an efficient way for prosperity and development of society, which “emphasized gender equality.” “Turkish women safeguard democracy and the republic. We make up half of the population so we want to have equal numbers in decision-making mechanisms, in Parliament. A stronger country is possible with empowered women,” she urged.
Emine Gülizar Emecan lawmaker from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) said women’s participation in politics was important to create gender equality-based policies. “We have to get rid of the mindset which thinks politics is a man’s job and treat women as second-class citizens,” she said.
